Federal agency sues Chipotle for alleged religious harassment, retaliation against Muslim worker

A federal agency filed a lawsuit against restaurant chain Chipotle over allegations a teenage worker at a Kansas location faced religious harassment and retaliation after a manager forcibly removed her hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed in the lawsuit filed Wednesday that an assistant manager at a Chipotle in Lenexa, Kansas, repeatedly asked the then-19-year-old worker to remove her hijab and show him her hair starting in July 2021. He demanded to see her hair at least 10 times over the course of a month, but she refused each time, telling him that she wore it because of her religious beliefs, according to the complaint.

The victim complained to another supervisor that the manager was making her uncomfortable, but the franchise failed to act, the complaint says.